Events

ONE FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIP

RISE TO POWER

ONE Fighting Championship returns to Manila on 31 May with a fight card of epic proportions. Passionate Filipino fans will get to witness home-grown ONE FC Featherweight World Champion Honorio "The Rock" Banario in action as he defends his title belt against another Asian top contender!

Also, witness the return of Dream Bantamweight Champion Bibiano Fernandes and get ready for national pride to take centerstage as Filipino heroes like Eduard Folayang, Rey Docyogen, Geje Eustaquio and many others return to the ONE FC cage to wage war against the world's best. The 20,000-seater SM Arena is set to be rocked by explosive world-class MMA action and the thunderous screams of the passionate Filipino fans!

ONE FC: RISE TO POWER is brought to you by CASINO FILIPINO. Tickets are available exclusively through CASINO FILIPINO. Ticketing details can be found HERE.

ONE FC: RISE TO POWER

Fighters

Honorio Banario

Koji Oishi

Former ONE Featherweight World Champion

Credentials

Former ONE Featherweight World Champion

Team Lakay

Team

Pancraseism

65.8kg

Weight

65.8kg

Country

Story

ONE FC FEATHERWEIGHT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE BOUT

Honorio Banario is the first fighter to ever hold ONE FC Featherweight World Championship title belt, a belt he won by stopping compatriot Eric Kelly in the fourth round of their fight in Kuala Lumpur earlier his year. By beating Kelly the 23-year-old made history, becoming the first fighter from the Philippines to ever win a world title in MMA. It was the eighth stoppage win of Banario’s career and the second time in succession he had finished an opponent with strikes inside the ONE FC cage. In nine fights Banario has never been to a decision because he has an aggressive, all-action style and sets a pace which opponents are unable to keep up with. This is a fight that Banario absolutely cannot afford to lose as he faces Japanese contender Koji Oishi in front of the passionate Filipino fans in Manila.

Koji Oishi is a veteran of 43 fights and a former Lightweight King of Pancrase. He has only lost two of his last 17 fights and is a seasoned veteran who has been consistently facing the best opposition in the world. Oishi’s list of previous opponents includes Satoru Kitaoka, Nick Diaz, Nate Diaz, Chris Lytle and Carlos Condit and he has spent most of his career competing at lightweight and going up against the top fighters in the division. Oishi has fought almost 100 rounds in his career and faced over 35 opponents making him one of the most experienced Featherweights in the world. Despite having 13 years of professional fighting experience he is still only 35 and will be looking to celebrate his 36th birthday, which falls on 31 May, by becoming the new ONE FC Featherweight World Champion.

Fighters

Bibiano Fernandes

Koetsu Okazaki

ONE Bantamweight World Champion

Credentials

Shooto World Featherweight Champion

AMC Pankration

Team

Nakanoshima MMA Academy

61.2kg

Weight

61.2kg

Country

Story

ONE FC INTERIM BANTAMWEIGHT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE BOUT

Bibiano Fernandes is ranked as probably the best Bantamweight in the world right now because the DREAM Bantamweight Champion, DREAM Bantamweight Grand Prix winner and former DREAM Featherweight Champion and DREAM Featherweight Grand Prix winner has not lost a fight in over two years. He made his ONE FC debut in Manila last August and defeated CFC Bantamweight Champion Gustavo Falciroli. Fernandes then followed that up with a first round submission win over DEEP Bantamweight Champion Yoshiro Maeda. Fernandes is a BJJ black belt and six-time world champion who is also a four-time Brazilian national champion and four-time Pan American champion. He will be looking to cement his status as the best pound-for-pound fighter currently in Asia by taking home the interim ONE FC Bantamweight World Championship title belt.

Koetsu Okazaki worked his way up the ranks of Shooto by dominating all the opposition and earning the Shooto World Championship title belt. He has been up against some of the best in the business in Japan, including ONE FC Bantamweight GP finalist Masakatsu Ueda, but has never faced a foreign fighter before. Okazaki has never been knocked out or stopped with strikes and has an excellent chin and ability to take and give a punch. He has two TKO wins in his last four fights and is looking to rise up beyond the competition that Japan has to offer and face some foreign champions. His chance has come on 31 May as he takes on top ranked Brazilian Bantamweight Bibiano Fernandes for a shot at the interim ONE FC Bantamweight World Championship title belt.

Fighters

Masakatsu Ueda

Kevin Belingon

ONE Bantamweight Grand Prix Champion

Credentials

ONE Bantamweight GP Finalist

Paraestra Tokyo

Team

Team Lakay

61.2kg

Weight

61.2kg

Country

Story

ONE FC BANTAMWEIGHT GRAND PRIX - FINAL

Kevin Belingon is the URCC Bantamweight Champion and is bringing a lot of momentum into this ONE FC Bantamweight Grand Prix Final. He beat DREAM veteran Yusup Sadulaaev and Vietnamese-Australian Thanh Vu to earn a spot in the finals. Renowned for his striking and possessing incredible speed and power, he can get in and out of range without being taken down or countered and can inflict serious damage with just a single strike. He has some of the most dangerous kicks in the entire bantamweight division and also has explosive takedowns and devastating ground and pound. But his opponent's ground game is world class, and could be the key factor in this match.

Masakatsu Ueda is a former Shooto Featherweight Champion and is a master technician on the mat. He beat Road FC Bantamweight Grand Prix Finalist Jung Ming Song and former UFC champion Jens Pulver to get here. He is a patient and methodical fighter who is most comfortable on the floor, utilizing his ground game but he also has strong stand-up skills with fast kicks. Both of these fighters have outstanding records and have established themselves as two of the top bantamweights in the world. They are the final two fighters out of a field of eight outstanding contenders and it is set to be an intense final match right in front of a raucous Filipino crowd. With the home-ground advantage working for Belingon, Ueda must pull out all the stops to emerge as the ONE FC Bantamweight Grand Prix Champion.

Fighters

Yasuhiro Urushitani

Rey Docyogen

Shooto Bantamweight Champion

Credentials

URCC Pinweight Champion

Tribe Tokyo MMA

Team

Team Lakay

56.7kg

Weight

56.7kg

Country

Story

Yasuhiro Urushitani is the former Shooto Bantamweight Champion and is known for his devastatingly accurate counter strikes and slick submission game. He's also a cautious fighter who tends to take a more patient and calculated approach to his fights. Since his debut in 2001, he has racked up a record of 19 wins, 4 losses, and 6 draws. With 2 of the losses coming back-to-back recently, he's looking to get back to his winning ways with this next match. But he's in for a real challenge if he plans to notch up a victory, especially since his opponent is nicknamed The Punisher.

Rey Docyogen is the URCC Pinweight Champion and is known for his fearsome ground and pound game, thus earning his nickname. As with all Team Lakay fighters, he has excellent endurance and devastating kicks, while he has proven that he can finish his fights via both KO and submission as well. Undefeated until his ONE FC debut, in which he lost via submission, he is more than eager to register his first-ever ONE FC win in front of 20,000 home fans in Manila. With him likely to be more aggressive and pairing that with Urushitani's countering, we have a very entertaining match where both fighters are desperate for a big win.

Fighters

Kamal Shalorus

Eduard Folayang

Iranian National Wrestling Champion

Credentials

ONE Lightweight World Champion

Kaizen MMA

Team

Team Lakay

70.3kg

Weight

77.1kg

Country

Story

Eduard Folayang is the URCC Welterweight Champion and is beloved in the Philippines, his native country, for winning numerous gold medals at Wushu. Known for his fearless fighting style and indomitable spirit, he is a fan-favorite with his come-from-behind wins. He has beaten top fighters such as A Sol Kwon and Felipe Enomoto since joining ONE FC, but he's about to face a fighter who's out to make a name for himself in a big way.

Kamal Shalorus is a two-time MMA champion who's making his debut for ONE FC and plans to take out one of the more popular and well-known superstars in Folayang. Nicknamed the Prince of Persia, he is an Iranian national champion and his wrestling abilities have been described as the best in all of MMA. It will be an exciting match-up as Folayang's world-class striking clashes with Shalorus' impeccable ground game. It's the hometown hero taking on a brash newcomer who will not let anything, home-crowd or not, stand in his way.

Fighters

Andrew Leone

Geje Eustaquio

Pan-Asian Grappling Champion

Credentials

Wushu Xanda Champion

Phuket Top Team

Team

Team Lakay

56.7kg

Weight

56.7kg

Country

Story

Andrew Leone is a Pan-Asian Grappling Champion and a tough American wrestler who has won numerous gold medals at BJJ and submission grappling tournaments all over Asia. He has defeated quite a few big names including Road FC Bantamweight Champion Kyung Ho Kang. He will be looking to utilise his wrestling ability and great ground game to finish the fight. But his opponent is no pushover, especially since he'll be eyeing title contention with a win.

Geje Eustaquio is a Wushu Xanda Champion who looked spectacular in his ONE FC debut when he dominated Alex Silva and will be looking for another impressive victory right in front of a raucous hometown crowd. With his fantastic cardio, he can attack relentlessly for the entire match if need be. He has excellent Wushu and has shown a solid ground game with a world-class submission defense. He has a clear-cut advantage in the striking exchanges but his opponent will give him a big challenge in the ground game. With Leone looking for a very successful ONE FC debut and Eustaquio looking for a title contention with a win, this is one fight set to raise the roof off of the MOA Arena.

Fighters

Ryan Diaz

Yusup Saadulaev

KOTC World Champion

Credentials

TFC Featherweight Champion

Tiger Muay Thai

Team

Top Team Fight Club / Uflacker Academy

61.2kg

Weight

61.2kg

Country

Story

Ryan Diaz is a former King of the Cage Champion and Canadian Muay Thai champion and has been out of action for almost three years. He has great striking credentials but, surprisingly, 10 of his 13 victories came by way of submission, showing how well-rounded a fighter he is. Nicknamed “Lion”, this Filipino Canadian is at a critical moment in his career with his comeback fight. He will be fighting for the first time in Asia and he is eager to be very aggressive in his match against a Russian grappling machine.

Yusup Saadulaev is a Combat Sambo Champion who has won numerous grappling competitions. He is known for usually tapping out or choking out opponents, something he has done six times in his nine wins. The most eye-catching win of his career came against Hideo Tokoro at Dream: Fight for Japan, when he knocked the Japanese veteran out cold with a huge slam. After losing his first two appearances in ONE FC, to Kevin Belingon and Leandro Issa, he is in a must-win situation and will be looking at clinching himself a dominating victory. With both fighters in a desperate, feral mode for a win, this is going to be one aggressive match.

Fighters

Felipe Enomoto

Lowen Tynanes

CFC Europe Champion

Credentials

KOTC Light Welterweight Champion

Enomoto Dojo

Team

808 Fight Factory/Powerhouse MMA

70.3kg

Weight

70.3kg

Country

Story

Felipe Enomoto is a seasoned veteran of the European scene who has battled some of ONE FC's best lightweights. After destroying journeyman Ole Laursen in his ONE FC debut, he fought and lost to title contenders Zorobabel Moreira and Eduard Folayang, so you can be sure that he's desperate to register a win for his next fight. He has no obvious weakness as he demonstrated in his match against Laursen, dropping him with a perfectly-timed head kick and then finishing him off with a rear naked choke. He might have to work a bit harder as his opponent is someone who has never tasted defeat.

Lowen Tynanes is a wrestling champion from Hawaii and is the reigning King of the Cage Light Middleweight World Champion. Undefeated so far in his career, he holds notable victories over fighters such as Eduard Folayang and Vuyisile Colossa and is rapidly emerging as a contender for the ONE FC World Lightweight title. With his wrestling skills and brutal ground-and-pound, he has proven to be a very scary fighter, evident by how he sliced open Folayang's face in their fight. Both fighters are ferociously competitive and it will be a tremendous match between strikes and takedowns, with a possible title contendership for the victor.